ᴹ√WED root. “bind”
A root in The Etymologies of the 1930s glossed “bind” with derivatives like ᴹQ. vére/N. gwaedh “bond, troth, compact, oath” and ᴹQ. vesta-/N. gwesta- “swear”, though Tolkien deleted Quenya derivatives of this root beginning with ves- saying they fell out of use due to conflict with ᴹ√BES “wed” (Ety/WED). This root might be a later iteration of the hypothetical early root *ᴱ√FEDE indicated by words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s like G. fedhin “bound by agreement; ally, friend” and G. fedhra- “unite in a band” (GL/34), but the 1910s and 1930s forms are rather dissimilar so it is hard to say.
References ✧ Ety/WED, WEN, WŌ
Glosses
Derivatives
?ᴱ√FEDE root. “*law, bond”
A hypothetical early root to explain words in the Gnomish Lexicon of the 1910s such as G. fedhin “bound by agreement; ally, friend” and G. fedhwen “treaty” (GL/34). There are some Early Noldorin words from the 1920s of similar form, such as ᴱN. fedhui (PE13/142), but they are unglossed so it is unclear whether they retained the same meaning. There are no further signs of this root in Tolkien’s later writing.
Derivatives